Stronger-than-expected job growth and a lower unemployment rate suggest a Federal Reserve pause on interest rates, even as past job growth figures are revised down and executives discuss a 'K-shaped' economy amid warnings of record federal debt.

• Kalshi and Polymarket Create New Competition for Professional Economists — The New York Times Business -
• US economy far outstrips expectations to add 130,000 jobs in January — Financial Times -
• Lower Unemployment Rate Supports Longer Pause for Fed — The New York Times Business -

• Job Growth Was Overstated, New Data Shows — The New York Times Business -
• What Executives Are Saying About the ‘K-Shaped’ Economy — The New York Times Business -
• Trump’s policies will add $1.4tn to US deficit over next decade, watchdog says — Financial Times -
• Federal Debt to Hit Record Levels, Budget Office Warns — The New York Times Business -
• Healthcare saves the US labour market, again — Financial Times -
• What to know about the better-than-expected report. — The New York Times Business -
• After a Year of Sluggish Hiring, 2026 Is Off to a Stronger Start — The New York Times Business -
• US labour market stronger than expected in January — Financial Times -
• After a Year of Sluggish Hiring, 2026 Is Off to a Stronger Start — The New York Times Business -
• Wall St. and Washington Brace for a Big Jobs Report — The New York Times Business -
• Trump plans to nominate a ‘data nerd’ to lead Bureau of Labor Statistics. — The New York Times Business -
• The US consumer is slowing — Financial Times -

McDonald's reports surging sales due to value campaigns, while Kraft Heinz reverses its breakup plans and commits to investments, though Pilgrim's Pride faces profit declines and Heineken announces significant job cuts amid weak demand.

• McDonald’s sales surge as struggling US consumers seek out value — Financial Times -
• Pilgrim’s Pride Fourth-Quarter Profit Slides, Hurt by Challenging Commodity Trends — Wall Street Journal -
• Kraft Heinz halts break-up plan as new chief targets turnaround — Financial Times -

• CoreCivic Says ICE Crackdown is Boosting Sales — Wall Street Journal -
• Kraft Heinz’s CEO Signed On for a Breakup. Now He Has a Plan to Keep It Together. — Wall Street Journal -
• McDonald’s Says Its Value Campaign Is Paying Off — Wall Street Journal -
• Sales at McDonald’s Rise After Discounts, the Grinch and Monopoly Promos — The New York Times Business -
• New Kraft Heinz CEO Says Food Company Won’t Split, for Now — The New York Times Business -
• Ford Aluminum Supplier Expects Fire-Damaged Plant to Be Repaired in June — Wall Street Journal -
• Heineken to Cut Up to 6,000 Jobs Amid Weak Demand for Beer — Wall Street Journal -
• SharkNinja Profit Climbs on Surge in Beauty, Home Appliance Sales — Wall Street Journal -
• American Airlines Is Struggling, and Its Crew Members Have Lost Patience — Wall Street Journal -
• How Did Pat McGrath Cosmetics Go From Billion-Dollar Brand to Bankruptcy? — The New York Times Business -
• Ahold Delhaize Shares Jump After Growth in U.S. Online Sales — Wall Street Journal -
• World’s largest plasma business seeks new blood as CEO departs — Financial Times -
• Ford Says Electric Vehicle Losses Will Continue for 3 More Years — The New York Times Business -
• Hands-Free Driving Systems Confuse Drivers, but Carmakers Push for More — Wall Street Journal -
• The Whiskey World Is Reeling, but Uncle Nearest Has Bigger Troubles — The New York Times Business -
• Estée Lauder Files Lawsuit Against Walmart Alleging Sales of Counterfeit Products — Wall Street Journal -

Cisco reports rising sales driven by AI hyperscalers despite memory cost pressures, as AppLovin sees profit and sales jump, while Shopify's margins strain under AI investments and the industry faces a memory supply shortage and internal OpenAI controversies.

• Cisco Sales Rise But Memory Costs Squeeze Margins — Wall Street Journal -
• Shares in UK wealth managers hit as AI contagion spreads — Financial Times -
• AppLovin Profit Rises as Sales Jump — Wall Street Journal -

• T-Mobile Added Fewer Postpaid Phone Subscribers Than Expected in Fourth Quarter — Wall Street Journal -
• Shopify’s Margins Strain Under AI-Driven Growth Push — Wall Street Journal -
• NetEase Profit Falls on Base Effect, Slower Revenue Growth — Wall Street Journal -
• Dassault Systemes Shares Slump on Weak Sales, Guidance — Wall Street Journal -
• Siemens Energy Books Record Order Backlog, Driven by AI Data-Center Boom — Wall Street Journal -
• SMIC CEO Says Industry ‘Panicked’ About Memory Supply Shortage — Wall Street Journal -
• How a ‘zombie’ chipmaker became Nvidia’s vital AI ally — Financial Times -
• Co-founders of Musk’s xAI join exodus from start-up’s tech team — Financial Times -
• OpenAI Executive Who Opposed ‘Adult Mode’ Fired for Sexual Discrimination — Wall Street Journal -

President Trump's directives to buy coal-generated electricity and his crackdown on home investment are shaping domestic policy, while his administration faces scrutiny over the Epstein files and Congress rebukes tariff rules.

• Trump orders US defence department to buy coal-generated electricity — Financial Times -
• Bondi under fire over handling of Epstein files in congressional hearing — Financial Times -
• The Famous Names in the Latest Release of Epstein Files — Wall Street Journal -

• LA28 Olympics Organizers Say Wasserman Will Remain Chair After Epstein Release — Wall Street Journal -
• Trump’s policies will add $1.4tn to US deficit over next decade, watchdog says — Financial Times -
• Pentagon’s Use of High-Energy Laser Led FAA to Halt Flights Over El Paso — Wall Street Journal -
• Federal Debt to Hit Record Levels, Budget Office Warns — The New York Times Business -
• US takes military action against drone incursion in Texas — Financial Times -
• Trump Wants to Revive Shipping. Investors Are Slow to Back Him. — The New York Times Business -
• Trump plans to nominate a ‘data nerd’ to lead Bureau of Labor Statistics. — The New York Times Business -
• Trump’s home investment crackdown is all about the suburbs — Financial Times -
• Trump Decries a ‘Nation of Renters’ but His New Policy Promotes One — The New York Times Business -
• US House votes down tariff rule in rebuke to Trump — Financial Times -
• Big Tech Companies Prepare to Skirt Trump’s $100,000 H-1B Fee — Wall Street Journal -
• Treasury Allows U.S. Companies to Provide Supplies to Venezuela for Oil Production — Wall Street Journal -

US-Iran tensions drive oil futures higher as Iran announces nuclear site verification, while OPEC holds its demand forecast steady and TotalEnergies considers halting Russian LNG exports amid calls for Europe to reduce reliance on imported energy.

• Trump-Netanyahu meeting ends with no agreement on Iran strategy — Financial Times -
• Oil Futures Settle Higher on U.S.-Iran Tension — Wall Street Journal -
• Iran’s president says it will open nuclear sites for ‘verification’ — Financial Times -

• Here’s What We Learned About the Power Grid During the Cold Snap — Wall Street Journal -
• U.S. Crude Oil Stockpiles Post Large Weekly Build — Wall Street Journal -
• Opinion | Cut Red Tape to Expand the Electrical Grid — Wall Street Journal -
• Zelenskyy planning elections in Ukraine and vote on peace deal — Financial Times -
• OPEC Holds Oil-Demand Forecast Steady, Says Production Fell in January — Wall Street Journal -
• Total may be forced to halt all Russian LNG exports, says CEO — Financial Times -
• Europe Needs to Learn Its Lesson: Stop Relying on Imported Energy — Wall Street Journal -
• TotalEnergies Slashes Buyback, Boosts Savings Target as Lower Prices Hit Profit — Wall Street Journal -
• Syria taps energy majors to explore for ‘trillions’ of cubic metres of gas — Financial Times -
• Netanyahu set to urge Trump to get tough with Tehran in Washington visit — Financial Times -
• A hedge fund’s $8bn bet on Venezuela’s Citgo — Financial Times -
• Treasury Allows U.S. Companies to Provide Supplies to Venezuela for Oil Production — Wall Street Journal -

Labour leader Keir Starmer faces calls for apologies and criticism over a peerage appointment, as the UK government bans foreign political donations and considers closer EU ties, while farmers warn of rotting crops and a space start-up collapses.

• Starmer calls on Ratcliffe to apologise after claiming UK ‘colonised by immigrants’ — Financial Times -
• UK to ban political party donations from foreign-owned companies — Financial Times -
• Reeves to limit deregulatory drive as she seeks closer UK ties with EU — Financial Times -

• Westminster fears release of ‘embarrassing’ exchanges in Mandelson data dump — Financial Times -
• UK farmers warn of rotting crops after exceptionally wet start to year — Financial Times -
• Keir Starmer appears rattled amid Commons criticism of Doyle peerage — Financial Times -
• ‘It was a cry for help’: the desperate attempt to save Labour in Scotland — Financial Times -
• The City should not have a monopoly on the chancellor’s ear — Financial Times -
• UK space start-up Orbex collapses as takeover talks break down — Financial Times -
• Britain should pray that Starmer survives — Financial Times -
• Lib Dems set out plan to replace Treasury with ‘Department for Growth’ — Financial Times -
• Matthew Doyle: basic blunder by Starmer begs questions about other misses — Financial Times -
• It’s time to phase out student loans — Financial Times -
• New CBI boss criticises UK government policy of taking stakes in businesses — Financial Times -
• The airlines fighting the expansion of Heathrow — Financial Times -
• Disclosure rules for ‘buy now, pay later’ lenders diluted by UK regulator — Financial Times -
• UK first-time buyers too pessimistic about securing a property, study says — Financial Times -

Activist investor Ancora Holdings targets Warner Bros.'s Netflix deal, pushing for a rival bid from Paramount, while Elliott Management takes stakes in LSEG and **QXO announces a $2.25 billion acquisition**.

• Elliott’s best bet at LSEG: shout the obvious through a megaphone — Financial Times -
• Where the Battle for Warner Bros. Stands Now — Wall Street Journal -
• Activist Investor Pushes Warner to Walk Away From Netflix Deal — Wall Street Journal -

• Activist investor takes aim at Warner Bros deal with Netflix — Financial Times -
• ‘Mormon Wives’ Producer Secures $50 Million for Creator-Economy Push — Wall Street Journal -
• Elliott Takes Stake in London Stock Exchange Owner — Wall Street Journal -
• QXO to Buy Kodiak Building for $2.25 Billion — Wall Street Journal -
• Evolution Mining Has No Intention of Sitting on Its Cash — Wall Street Journal -
• ABN Amro Profit Misses Views Amid Market Volatility — Wall Street Journal -
• Universal’s Downtown Music takeover to get EU blessing — Financial Times -
• AIG Logs Lower Fourth-Quarter Profit as Net Investment Income Slides — Wall Street Journal -

Ineos seeks redress from Belgium over a suspended plant permit, as Sweden expresses skepticism over 'Buy European' rules, and a Dutch court orders a probe into Chinese-owned Nexperia amid ongoing discussions about European competitiveness and financial sovereignty.

• Ineos seeks redress from Belgium over suspension of plant permit — Financial Times -
• How to deploy ‘Buy European’ rules — Financial Times -
• Europe’s best bet for financial sovereignty is a true safe asset — Financial Times -

• Dutch Court Orders Probe Into Chinese-Owned Nexperia — Wall Street Journal -
• Switzerland to vote on plan to cap population at 10mn — Financial Times -
• Europeans need to stop the hypocrisy to thrive — Financial Times -
• EU should focus on competitiveness not crises, says Sweden — Financial Times -
• Swedish PM ‘very sceptical’ of French push to Buy European — Financial Times -
• How Europe can escape an economic impasse — Financial Times -
• Belgian museum caught in row over DR Congo mineral records — Financial Times -
• Dassault: the defence group blocking the €100bn Franco-German jet project — Financial Times -

US health officials defend the FDA's rejection of Moderna's flu vaccine, an mRNA shot that faced internal division, while Humana reports a wider quarterly loss and anticipates a 2026 earnings decline due to rising medical costs.

• U.S. Health Officials Defend Rejection of Moderna’s Flu Vaccine — The New York Times Business -
• Humana Reports Wider Quarterly Loss, Expects 2026 Earnings Decline — Wall Street Journal -
• F.D.A. Refuses to Review Moderna Flu Vaccine — The New York Times Business -

Bangladesh holds its first nationwide elections since a 2024 uprising, India slashes takedown times for unlawful online content, and China charges a former AstraZeneca executive amidst a crypto lender halting client withdrawals.

• FirstFT: Bangladesh holds first nationwide elections since 2024 uprising — Financial Times -
• Susquehanna-backed crypto lender BlockFills halts client withdrawals — Financial Times -
• China charges former AstraZeneca executive — Financial Times -

• India slashes takedown time on unlawful online content — Financial Times -
• Turkey’s soap opera boom threatened by dramatic inflation — Financial Times -
• After 17 years in exile, dynastic heir looks to lead Bangladesh — Financial Times -